Bottled 05/2013 and acquired in a nice sunny day in August among friends. Stored upright @ 55F in my basement and then opened with Chris in a random Saturday.A – I would say this beer looks slightly more oily & black and regular damon. A velvet sheen / shine that lets you know shit is about to get real. It’s hard to get any head to form even with a vigorous pour but the alcohol legs that form on the swirl are another reminder that this is going to be a memorable here.

S – Having only had bourbon Damon, it’s definitely all Damon with that vanilla, coconut and charred oak bourbon but then the sweet tawny porto wine, vinous, tannic and acidic are also on the nose. Both really come through in a big way to hold up the chocolate, wood, blackberries and creamy yogurt. The easiest nose is straight up licorice on a first sniff.

T – This is just really interesting. Chocolate, brownies, figs and blackberries. The most dark fruit salad forward stout I’ve ever had. Molasses and other syrups come through as well. All of the awesome bourbon characteristics are here as well. Very grapey the port characters really come through stronger than bourbon however, I’m sensitive to wine and tannic qualities and drink a lot less port than bourbon so that obviously hits me stronger. All of the sweet & roasted characters of Damon shine through perfectly.

M – Thin, oily and sweet finish. Not a lot of carbonation which is disappointing. Still a great beer and one that I look forward to trying again in a few months or even a year.

O – So putting DB Damon among all of the other dark beers? It’s hard to say sort of like in my review of Ann. It’s way better than Anna but among the other wine barrel aged saisons from HFS, it’s just on-par. This is a great beer, low bottle count, high cost so makes for great trade bait for some of you but I think this beer is best split with one friend, at cellar temp and allowed to warm and once you finish it, open up an Everett and maybe making a grilled cheese sandwich while the snow falls. To be enjoyed, not cherished, DB Damon is a solid beer.